


A Fool's Spring

by Sweet_Satura



Series: Lonely Together [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M, Fluff, Force Bond, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Rey & Rose Tico Friendship, Rey (Star Wars) is a Mess, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo Week, Reylo Week 2020, Reyloweek2020, Touch, Wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23950174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Satura/pseuds/Sweet_Satura
Summary: Exiled for months on the cold planet Mansk, Rey and the Resistance have to come to the realization that their departure is imminent. The hideout is falling apart and resources are growing scarce by the day. In a desperate hunt for food and willpower, Rey crosses minds with Ben Solo once again.[Reylo Week 2020 - Day 5: Wounds/Healing/Touch]
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Lonely Together [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1573903
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19
Collections: REYLO WEEK 2020





	A Fool's Spring

**Author's Note:**

> So... this is my first Reylo work since The Rise of Skywalker and to be honest... That movie zapped my motivation pretty bad. Still I'm happy with how this one-shot turned out, despite the lack of inspiration. Hope you enjoy!

“Ow!” She mouthed, her face stirring away from the ground. One second. It took _one damn second_ of inattention to face plant that pathetically.

Grumbling, Rey picked herself up and instinctively rubbed her hands and mouth clean. The taste of dirt and green lingering on her tongue screwed her face up in disgust and no amount of spitting seemed to help. As if her day wasn’t shitty already. Thank the Force nobody saw that.

Back into a more dignified posture she threw a deadly glare at the one thing she held responsible for her fall: a large rock covered in moss, one among many others. Days of frustration poured into a single kick, enough to send the culprit rock roll down the soft slope of the hill. _Good riddance._ With her wool cloak adjusted to her shoulders she now had to take care of the disaster at her feet. She stared down at it for a moment, her chest heaving with bitter annoyance: The harvest was already poor to start with, but with her little incident there was now even less to salvage. Quickly before the birds started a feast the few intact berries were taken back into the linen cloth, closely followed by a handful of mushrooms. That was it. Not even enough to settle a hungry stomach.

With a sigh Rey placed the bundled-up cloth into the basket and lifted it back onto her shoulder. She had to go. She had to keep walking farther away to find more food. Staff in hand, she went back on her not-so merry way.

After a few more careful steps she couldn’t help but smile at her own clumsiness. If it hadn’t been a rock, it would have been the thickest ice several weeks ago. That or layers upon layers of snow piled over the course of months, covering everything in a smooth, even coat of pure white. One sneaky trap behind a mask of beauty. The ground of Mansk couldn’t be trusted and she had learnt that the hard way. It would slip under your feet when firm and swallow you, sometimes whole, when soft.

Then out of the blue everything changed. A soft breeze had replaced the harsh cold winds, and clouds had made way for twin suns that shone bright and took over most of the night. Now it felt like she was on a totally different planet. Everywhere she would lay eyes on, they would be met with something new. A colorful cover of grass and flowers had grown among the grey rocks and spread over the plains and mountains, welcoming into its wonder the cutest little critters. The trees, now relieved from the weight of frost, danced and spread in the air their lovely fresh scent as she passed them.

Rey couldn’t help but marvel at this display. There were no seasonal shifts like those on Jakku, only perpetual extremes. The landscape would never change. Life would never grow on those sterile grounds, only crawl on the dunes to kill or serve the scavengers’ interests.

Yet as much as she loved the new face of Mansk, it wouldn’t be for much longer. She didn’t really know how things came to be this way. Maybe in the rush of their arrival, or in the haste of getting the base going, they didn’t think this through. At first things were fine, but as weeks went by the precious time they should have spent on refurbishing the equipment had to be devoted to finding food. Now everything was failing them, and while the First Order had everything they needed to find and eliminate them, the hungry and exhausted Resistance drowned in anguish.

They had fucked up somehow and once again they’d have to run away.

Her head fell down. The thought reeked of shame given that among its ranks the Resistance had such brave people of all origins, full of talents and dedicated to the cause. It could even count on its very own Jedi apprentice. Still despite all this she knew a sneaky escape was better than a fierce but deadly fight, at least as long as hope didn’t become as scarce as the edibles on this planet.

She stopped a moment to check on her locator. Six kilometers now separated her from the base and she was currently heading south, a direction that so far had proven not so successful. Rey clutched her hips while scanning her surroundings. There had to be something edible out there, something else than small berry bushes and mushrooms hidden among these tall spruces.

Tall spruces, huh?

Her head tilted to the side as the obvious fact downed on her. She had done this for years in ship carcasses and crevasses, even those temples beyond the quicksand valley, east from the Niima post. To climb a tree shouldn’t be that complicated, at least compared to slippery steel debris she almost impaled herself onto several times in the past.

Taking a few steps back she assumed her stance, locked her gaze on the exact branch she wanted to reach and sprinted. The jump went smoothly as expected, however the same couldn’t be said for the landing. Her chest hit the wood with too much strength, therefore knocking the air out of her lungs while her legs were left dangling in the empty. Before she slipped further she held tight onto the bark, threw her right leg up and let it catch on smaller piney branches to better pull up the other. After one final pull, she was safe. For a second she laid there, a silly smile across her face. Her skills weren’t that rusty. With the hardest part behind her the remaining trail upwards went easier and soon enough she found herself a good ten meters in the air with a good enough view. In a matter of seconds her face brightened up. Roughly one kilometer ahead was an open rocky clearing crossed by a river. 

Her stomach rumbled at the thought of grilled fish. She could already taste it.

Rey immediately made her way down, agile and impatient. If life was crawling on land then surely this river would be full of life as well. Once her feet on the ground she grabbed her basket and rushed towards the clearing. She weaved between trees and leaped over large rocks, her blood rushing in her veins for the first time in a long while. Upon arrival her hopes went sky high: the river was large and moderately deep, with clear waters running in a steady flow. Her first reflex was to immerse her hands into the stream and drink her well deserved fill. After that she followed the river in the search for an ideal spot, one far enough from the banks and where currents would merge in together.

She eventually found something suitable after a short walk. There the river was slightly narrower, with large rocks emerged from the water which disturbed the currents in a way that fish could be funneled in those grooves in between them. Rey dropped her things on the ground, determined to give it her best try. First things first, she had to craft a spear. 

As much as it hurt to use a friend’s gift like that, Rey had no choice. She had no harpoon, and didn’t have anything with her to craft one in a reasonable amount of time. Rose would certainly understand. Besides, it would be a onetime use only. Next time she’d be much better prepared.

A few twists of cord later the knife was attached and secured at one end of her staff, ready to be used. Excited, the scavenger leaped her way to the two central rocks and assumed her stance, ready to strike at anything swimming in the current between her feet. The grasp of both her hands strengthened around the staff. She would succeed. She would appease that roaring in the pit of her stomach.

The spear at last fell down after long minutes and rose with the catch of the day impaled on the blade. Rey lost no time and grabbed the fish, then twisted the knife in in order to put an end to its struggling. Her first success in days brought a proud smile to her face. One less person would go hungry tonight. Once the insides of the trout thoroughly rinsed she placed it inside her basket, gently pushing aside the berry and mushroom bundles, and covered it all with her cloak so that none of those pesky birds would steal what was rightfully hers.

Rey hopped back to her spot, more determined than ever. Soon another prey slithered in between the rocks and the blade of her knife found it, only when she went to retrieve her catch she watched it drop into the water, never to be seen again. A curse was muttered, and then another when the spear lodged itself into the sand instead of flesh, and another when it slipped away from her grasp. As this hour went by, strong gushes of cold wind made her shiver uncontrollably and blew away the flow of obscenities she blurted out after every fail. Her patience reaching its limits she aimed her spear at the groove and braced herself. Just one more, one more fish would be enough for her to go back to the base with a semblance of pride. Her inner plea received an answer shortly after. The prefect occasion now at hand, Rey raised her spear and allowed all her strength to pour into this final blow.

She didn’t see it coming. Only felt it cut through her cheek, nearly cutting her eye as well in the process. Her palm pressed onto the wound, Rey retrieved her staff from the water and saw the damage with her own eyes. Half of the knife was missing. A half she couldn’t find anywhere.

The food was gone, and her gift was destroyed.

In the peak of her rage she grabbed her lightsaber and ignited it before lashing out on the rocks at her feet, slashing on and on whatever was found in her way in a spectacle of blue light and metallic noise. Not fair. _It was not fair_.

Her chest kept on heaving in saccades, matching the hard thumping of her heart underneath as nature’s silence fell over her again. She looked down at her feet where the once deemed perfect spot was now nothing more than a pile of gravel, slowly disintegrating under the force of new currents. 

She returned the saber to her belt once she recovered her cool. As good as it felt, destroying the landscape wouldn’t give her a solution or her knife back. Besides, she should know better than to use the legacy saber of Luke Skywalker while surrendering to a fit of rage. After all, no Jedi should surrender to their feelings now, should they? A sarcastic laugh resounded on her way back to the bank and then died down into a deeper sigh when she sloppily sat down. Even though the river erased all traces of her rampage, it didn’t take away this feeling of hopelessness weighing down on her shoulders. Somehow she wished it did. But that was not how things worked. 

One glance into her basket and the smirk she bore grew more twisted. So much effort, so much energy spent for such meager results. If this was the best find of today, then a promise of chaos awaited them all this evening. Like starved beasts everyone would claim their share in a moment that should be guided by cooperation and mutual aid and only the strong, disciplined spirit of Leia could put an end to the madness.

Under the cloak Rey embraced her own shivering form. Leia. The kind and nurturing figure she never had. To a little desert rat like her, she was extraordinary. In every one of her words there was wisdom. In every look there was resolve. Each time she held her hand in between hers, Leia would remind her that she mattered, that she believed in that lone scavenger from Jakku.

But how had she been repaying her kindness so far?

With failure.

Leia had always been patient with her, kind and reassuring in both success and defeat. But lately, success had become a rare occurrence. Even the basics that she had polished to near perfection needed to be worked on once more. Leia had tried different approaches, different exercises, but nothing worked. She was stuck, and as her frustration grew their training sessions grew tense and even more unfruitful. 

Rey closed her eyes on the thought. In the Resistance’s time of need she should be the one that holds up and supports the general in every situation. She should be the very person Leia could lean on. A deep grunt accompanied a dreadful reminder. Leia was declining. Even though she tried hard to hide it, everybody could see it: the dark circles under her eyes, the discreet coughing behind people’s back, the naps that slowly replaced her favorite snack time.

The grip of both her hands on her skull grew to bring pain. Oh Force, that timing was awful. _Awful_.

While lost in her inner turmoil the clouds had gathered high above, shielding her from the warmth and comfort of the sun. The bright greens had dulled down, the shadows had grown, and judging by the shades of red her fingertips now bore the cold had already started eating at her. In spite of that Rey chose to stay by the river, alone with her thoughts while she still could.

Even though the circumstances were terrible and all odds seemed to be against her, she didn’t regret leaving Jakku for such an adventure. To know that far more beautiful and peaceful planets existed had her mind buzzing with all kinds of hopes and dreams. Once the galaxies appeased, a myriad of possibilities would open to her. She could find herself the perfect place to settle for good, some place of luscious vegetation bathed in sunlight all year long…

_She would settle the plates on a wooden terrace table while their lunch was cooking. The smell of glazed ribs would fill the air and make her salivate. Only a few minutes before he’d bring them…_

A place where she could establish a ship repair business… 

_A place where she would lose every notion of time, were it not for him coming to her with fresh drinks and news of new clients. She could always count on his gift of gab to grow their connections and he could count on her expertise._

Or… Or become a teacher! A teacher to those whose childhood was wasted in warfare.

_He would be a great teacher, though not the most patient one. She’d be by his side, soothing and caring, and together they would tell about the Force, neither light nor dark, but as the bond between all things._

She’d be free, free to do whatever she wished, free to be whoever she pleased.

 _They’d be free, free to start things anew, trace their own path and perhaps-_ ENOUGH.

Why? Why would her every thought always come back to _him_? Rey buried her face into her knees, groaning and cursing under her breath. They were on opposite sides. They had opposed ideals. They were opposite in the Force itself, yet he kept invading her mind to the point of making her sick. Even now with temperatures dropping the fever was spreading to her entire body and her heart palpitated so hard in her chest it could break ribs. Surely he must have done something to her, maybe while she was unconscious…

Slowly, painfully, a heavy vibration intertwined with the sound of restless currents. It bounced between both her ears until it covered everything in its infernal noise. 

_Oh, hell no._

The moment it came to a halt, she knew. Her eyes closed and she exhaled loudly. She didn’t want that. Not now. Not again. The presence behind her took a step forward, too shy to move the rocks beneath, but enough for her to not be able to ignore it any longer.

“Rey.”

Her teeth sank hard into her lower lip. Of course it was him. Of fucking course only the Force would toy with her in such a devious way. Besides, it had that damn capacity to bridge minds whenever it pleased, but to help her and the Resistance, suddenly it wasn’t around. How convenient.

She straightened up before glancing over her shoulder and- _Oh for fuck’s sake._

Her eyes rolled hard and she turned away, a palm plastered on her blushing face. That idiot, that silly man was missing a shirt again. One would think a supreme leader would have a fantastic wardrobe: Tunics, capes, an immense choice of clothing to cover a broad chest, but no. Ben Solo was standing behind her half naked. _Again_.

“Don’t you have a supreme attire or something to put on?” She spat at him while resisting this infuriating urge to look at him.

His head tilted to get a better look at her. “What happened to y-“

“Just… Just leave me alone.” She declared while hugging her knees against her chest, hiding her wounds in the process.

Ben refrained from replying. As seconds passed by, it became clear that the bond would stay open whether they liked it or not. He took this time to evaluate the surroundings. For the first time, he could see more than his equal in the light: The gravel ruffled under his feet when he turned to see the spruce forest dancing in the wind and the large clearing obscured by dark skies. He had no idea what planet she was hiding on, but since he was here might as well enjoy his stay. With discreet steps he placed himself next to Rey and, keeping some distance still, sat down in a similar position.

The scavenger glared at him as he made himself comfortable and chose to scoot farther from him. After making sure he kept to himself, she plunged her gaze back into the forest spreading in front of her, letting it jump from tree to tree and look deeper and deeper into the knots of branches.

Where she hoped her imagination would take over, memories instead came flooding every corner of her head. It was in similar woods that they had fought each other for the first time, and what a fight. The saber had answered to her and with it she had defeated the mighty Kylo Ren, and from what she had learnt from Leia’s intel her unexpected victory had shaken the whole First Order. The twitch of a smirk appeared for a brief second. Who would have thought back then that Kylo Ren would turn against his master and fight by her side, fight for her? That night in the midst of utter chaos their bond was stronger than ever. There was no fear and no doubt, only that fierce sense of confidence rushing in her veins as she fought to protect both their lives. Snoke was gone. The guards were gone. The opportunity to turn over a new leaf was too ideal to pass. 

Yet he threw it all away in mere seconds.

Now here they were, neither friends nor enemies in front of another crowd of spruces. But what were they then? Her and Ben were such an odd pair. An odd and sweetly disastrous pair.

“You’re a fool, Ben Solo.” Rey declared, her gaze lost in the vast of the sky, away from his muscular frame. That lump in her throat just kept on growing to the point that it burned.

Ben grabbed a rock beside him and threw it in the river where it failed to ricochet. ”Yes. I am.” He replied, a hint of sarcasm sipping into his words.

“Also a coward for choosing to become another tyrant.” The chanting tone she used rang wrong in his ears. His head snapped in her direction. “I am nothing like Snoke.” He punctuated every word as if to hammer them in her head like a solid truth.

“You could very well become another Snoke.” Her gaze found his and held it fiercely. “You took the title of Supreme Leader. You and you alone chose to side by the First Order and lead its armies into more warfare and blood!” 

“Do you think I had a choice?” He spoke calmly in the midst of short breaths. 

“Yes you did!” She moved in his direction, hissing under her breath when her scratched palms met with coarse gravel. “You freed yourself from the one who used you. Nothing held you back anymore so why didn’t you follow me back into the light?”

Sweet Rey. If only things were so simple. Of course, less than a year into such a conflict wasn’t enough time to realize how high the stakes were at, how the situation came to be this way and why. How could a girl isolated on Jakku her whole life even understand the endless fight between Light and Dark, Republic and Empire, Resistance and First Order? Endless, but most of all useless. All were in the wrong. None were the solution.

No, light wasn’t the solution for him. Neither was leaving the First Order. Leaving legions behind in the hands of Hux would be a terrible thing. While he as Kylo Ren could use the Force to assert a dominance he naturally lacked, Hux had it tenfold and this mixed with incredible levels of cunning and cruelty. With all the right keys in hand that mad man would turn the galaxy into a graveyard, with a dedicated plot for his mother and Rey.

Ben pushed this thought away as soon as it bloomed in his head. “It’s not that easy Rey.” He answered while nervously handling handfuls of soil.

“And why is that? What part of fleeing, of saving innocent lives was hard? You, the mighty heir of the Skywalker, a powerful Force user, are telling me doing things right was hard?”

“Enough!” He yelled. “You don’t have a clue how things work! You think I can do whatever I want? That simply getting rid of Snoke would grant me freedom?”

He got up in a heartbeat and started pacing back and forth, his hands running through his hair and down his neck. “All I wanted was to break this infernal cycle and you know what? I thought… no I believed you were the only one who could help me. The ideals of the Resistance and their general are no better than those of the First Order and yet you are still holding on!” He kneeled in front of her, his toned arms supporting his upper body. “Look around! There is nothing for you there. By my side you could have had a place, a purpose, a whole galaxy for you to thrive in!”

Her insides twisted further into a knot the closer he stood to her. “I don’t want the whole galaxy and I don’t want to be with you!” She spat with a voice that cracked with each syllable.

“Yet back in the throne room, you did want to take my hand, didn’t you?” Ben spoke to an evasive Rey. “Didn’t you?” He insisted as he drew dangerously near.

“SHUT UP!” She barked at him.

They stared at each other as she breathed heavily, all the anger bottled deep inside her threatening to just explode here and there. The Supreme Leader remained silent. He could sense it, this pulsating darkness inside her. One misplaced gesture, one clumsy word and things would turn sour. Slowly, Ben took a step back and sat himself down the way he was minutes ago, resting his hands on his bent knees. After a while, Rey’s hissing died down and turned into a long, pained sigh.

A tear rolled down her cheek, a shameful tear she immediately wiped off before turning away from his unbearable gaze. As hard as it was to admit to herself, Ben was right. Things weren’t simple. 

Power did not mean freedom. 

_Freedom._

Rey hid her face in her crossed arms. Why did things have to be this way? They both were suffering in their misery. The paths they had chosen a year ago had no fulfillment in sight. Friends, masters and subordinates only added to their loneliness. In the end all that remained was that bond between them, and the truth it kept on bringing: They were unable to find solace and understanding in anything or anyone but each other. 

In the midst of hidden tears Rey held on dearly to those words. Their paths could reunite for good someday. Together they could run side by side towards the same direction and goal, until they don’t need to run anymore and are able to settle down, far from the past, far from everything. Not on Mansk, obviously. Not on Ahch-To either, especially since she angered at least half of its population. Takodana could have been perfect, were it not a place hosting the worst kind of scoundrels. 

Another idea came to her: a planet she had never been to, but had heard the most wonderful tales about. During many infernal nights at the hideout, Leia would tell her about her equally infernal young years, and this place would always become at one point the center of the conversation. Through her eyes and words, Naboo was not only the birth place of her mother, but a place where she could be herself and reconnect with her roots and especially with what truly mattered in her life. She spoke of beauty and sophistication in every aspect of daily life, from the unique architecture to the intricate design of clothing and interiors, and would be moved to tears at the mention of those nights she spent watching the stars, waiting for the return of Han and toddler Ben from their bonding adventure.

It didn’t take long for Rey to fall into another daydream. She didn’t really care about the extravagances Naboo had to offer, but rather she yearned for its wild and untouched side. She could imagine it so clearly: In the far outskirts of the capital there would be her cozy hideout, a wooden house of simple yet charming style, spacious and luminous and ready to welcome her peaceful life and hobbies. A garden would be a must-have, so that she’d be able to grow her own food, and also have enough space for a bike to go in town. When not working to earn a decent living, she’d escape further from everything, into the most luxurious forests bathed in the first rays of sunrise and morning dew, where hidden by the curtain of leaves she could find small plains where the prettiest flowers would grow.

“Violets.” Ben said out of the blue.

Rey shook out of her reverie. “What did you say?”

“Violets are the prettiest flowers to grow in these meadows.” He replied, not sparing her a glance. “I would often trample them as a child, until I learned that they were my mother’s favorite.” His lower lip trembled at the mention of the word he dreaded so much.

She smiled fondly at how touching this simple statement was. Of course Ben would have spent some of his life on Naboo since he followed his mother everywhere her Senator duties would take her. The urge to ask him a thousand questions was so very tempting. She wanted to know everything about that turbulent little boy, about how it was to grow up on a planet with so many resources and access to everything, but chose to abstain. His dejected face said it all. Now wasn’t the right time to talk about his past, or about Leia.

Her fingers fidgeted together nervously. “You should see the flower fields on the mountains up north. They’re beautiful.” She stuttered, satisfied with that new direction.

For once he didn’t repress this light laughter. Only two hot-blooded fools like them could jump from a full-on argument to the most casual of conversations and he didn’t mind the slightest. A wave of relief started spreading into his body, only to be stopped dead in its tracks by Rey’s hand sliding on the ground to come brush against his. 

“I did want to take your hand.” She choked on a breath. “But I wanted Ben’s hand, not Kylo Ren’s.”

Her fingers found their way to the top of his hand and held it gently, a gesture that Ben lost no time in reciprocating. A shudder ran down his back as he tried to control his erratic breathing and the heat spreading on his cheeks and so far, he was doing a terrible job. He knew well she was a bold woman, but this kind of bold… he wasn’t prepared. He wasn’t prepared at all.

And then she let it all out. She cried and trembled and howled her grief out like her whole world had collapsed. A knot of pain formed in his throat as he held her hand even tighter, suppressing his own tears. It hurt. To see her in utter despair hurt like hell and Force, he’d give anything and everything to appease her, to bring happiness to the person that most deserved it in this entire galaxy.

Slowly, shyly, he raised his other hand to her cheek and carefully enveloped her wound with his palm. There wasn’t much he could do, but he could start with this.

Rey froze, her mouth agape with surprise. The softness of this gesture, this open display of affection had her feeling all kinds of strange. It was nothing like a hug or a friendly pat on the back. This was… intimate. Her reason screamed at her to push away the intruder and keep her distances, but it quickly got silenced by the heavy pounding in her chest and that warm, fuzzy feeling tickling the pit of her stomach. It felt good. The tension built up in her jaw released as she leaned into his touch and enjoyed the feeling of his skin against hers.

They remained like so, still and silent until her sobs died down and her breathing was back to a slow and relaxed pace. Only now with her emotions under control did she notice that the pulsating stinging in her cheek had completely vanished, just like the burning sensation in her fingers. Upon closer inspection she could no longer find a single trace of frost bite or stiffness, only healthy skin and painless joins, like her hands had never known the damage of manual labor. Rey stared at Ben awestruck and, she had to admit, a tad jealous, wondering how he came up with such an amazing technique.

At this moment the familiar vibration resounded around them, causing Rey to fall back into restlessness. Ben immediately claimed her attention back; his thumb brushed away the trail of tears and kept caressing her cheek as he drowned himself into those eyes, those beautiful eyes he might not see again in a long while. While he still could he took her every feature in as if this was the last time, and deep inside he begged to be able to see her again.

“Ben…” She whispered, her lovely face contorted with grief, her fingers intertwined with his in a last desperate attempt to make him stay. 

Ben bit his lower lip hard, but to no avail. The sobs escaped anyway, and with a torrent of tears soon to arrive he brought her closer until their foreheads touched. “You’re not alone.” He murmured, caressing her hair tenderly. “Neither-”

“Rey?” A high-pitched voice called in the distance. “Reeeeeey?”

The Scavenger threw a glance above her shoulder, a cold sweat running down her back. What was Rose doing here? They had gone opposite ways when they left the base! Oh Force, she couldn’t be spotted here with their sworn enemy! In her hurry she failed to get on her feet and fell back backside first on the gravel. After a load of grumble her eyes settled back on Ben, whose lips curled into a soft grin. Fondness adorned his face still glistening with fresh tears.

“See you around, Rey.” He said quietly, nodding in the direction of the yelling before fading into the empty.

Rey covered her mouth just in time before she spoke his name out loud, her heart growing heavy in her chest the moment she no longer sensed him. The Force may have tricked them both again; it also robbed them once more of some precious time together. Heck, she didn’t even regret starting their argument, even if it meant she was proven wrong. She had not connected with somebody like this in forever and boy did she miss him right now. She wiped a discreet tear to the sound of branches ruffling. “Ah, there you are! I thought I’d never find you.” Rose exclaimed, radiant as usual. “Hey, is everything alright?” Her head tilted reflexively in the search of any visible sign of trouble.

Rey exhaled deeply as she turned around to face her friend. “I’m fine” She replied, trying her best to match’s Rose enthusiasm. “Harvest didn’t go really well for me. I have like, two small fishes and a handful of mushrooms and berries.”

Rose wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “Aww… Don’t worry about that. Finn and Poe got lucky this time and came back with a big catch. We’ll all be enjoying Zoorsora meat tonight!” The thought of a somewhat grand meal managed to bring Rey a bit of warmth, enough at least to keep her emotions at bay while Rose grabbed her hand and took her along back to the hideout.

The two ladies walked side by side to the cheerful words of Rose. The young lady was light on her feet, her steps almost dancing as she told the tale of how her and Kaydel stumbled upon a pack of ice foxes with cubs. Rey nodded, a mechanical smile lock in place on her face. No matter how hard she tried, she failed to share her friend’s joy. Eyes riveted on the vastness of the horizon, the scavenger drowned once more in her thoughts of a peaceful retreat, of fields of green grass and bright violets surrounding a small abode that she and Ben would disappear into forever.

Her wandering mind found its way back to reality when Rose’s speech died down. She found her friend staring up at the pale sky, from which fine snow was falling and already piling onto the ground in a powdery cover. “And to think we believed spring had finally come. Ah well, let’s hurry back to the base. I’m starving!” Rose said, gesturing her friend to follow her. Rey obliged, as this unexpected change of weather could interfere with their locator. 

One step after the other the daydreams faded, allowing harsh truths to settle back in. As the world around her turned to pure and pristine white Rey hoped for the spring. For who knew, maybe along with its warmth and comfort, her one true companion would also return.


End file.
